Calgary Real Estate Blog

I mentioned this in a previous post, but it bears repeating: the Alberta government is seeking public input on ways the Condominium Property Act can be improved through a survey available until May 2. As was discussed in the Calgary Herald on Tuesday, plenty of people have had less than stellar experiences with condo boards, builders, contractors, and the like (although many, many more have never had a problem with their condo or condo board), and there may be ways the Condominium Property Act can be updated to better reflect current realities. It’s been 13 years since the Act was last revised; in that time, tens of thousands of units have been built and their average price has tripled. Our market’s not the same as it was in Y2K – help the government figure out what’s changed, and make things better for buyers, sellers, and builders alike.

The Alberta government has announced it is opening the Condominium Property Act for review and public consultation, something that hasn’t been done in thirteen years. It’s about time, I’d say. Apartment-style condominiums have become the de facto starter home: they’re relatively low cost, often come with appealing amenities for singles and couples, and tend to be located where the action is rather than in quiet suburbs (although there are plenty of non-central condos in the city too, holding special appeal for seniors and young families). Calgarians love condos, is my point, and in my opinion management companies have been, shall we say, benefitting a little too much because of it.

What’s my beef with some management companies? Well, among other things, the fees they charge owners for copies of their own condominium documents at the time of sale are simply ridiculous: $400 for a complete package is common these days. To put that in perspective, condo sellers might pay in the neighbourhood of $600 to their lawyers for that same transaction, with all the various tasks a lawyer performs; the management company is getting two-thirds’ that amount to merely run a photocopier or upload docs to an online repository. To make matters even more absurd, the documents requested belong to the condo corporations, yet those corporations don’t see any of the money paid to the management company for putting them together – and they’re already being paid a fee by the condo corp!

Of course things are never quite this black and white, and I’m sure management company reps would have a thing or two to say in response. But my point is, our market continues to boom and a good chunk of the properties changing hands are condos. There’s not going to be a better time to let the government know what is and isn’t working with the Condominium Act. Beyond the fees charged at the time of sale, warranty issues, dispute resolution, board governance and a host of other elements could use tweaking; I encourage anyone with skin in the game to take the government up on its offer to listen to what you have to say. Participate in the survey and make your voice heard.